As some of you know, I’ve been a bit (ok, more than a bit) under the weather these last months, health- and otherwise, and had to cut back somewhere. “Somewhere” being my online presence, and you’re rightly upset with me that Old Cuddy (as well as Joyful Molly) fell victim to my cutbackiness. It wasn’t easy to give other things priorities, as you can imagine.

But now I’m back for good, and updates will be regular again. And he’re a heads-up for the next event of the honourable Collingwood Society:

“COLLINGWOOD AND MORPETH”

A talk to the The Collingwood Society byCapt. Stephen Healy

Thursday 19th September 2013: 7.30pm
The Ballroom, Morpeth Town Hall

Free for members of both the Collingwood Society and the Morpeth Antiquarian Society , £2 admission for others.
Parking is recommended at the adjacent Newgate Street car parks. Rail and bus travel is possible from Newcastle.

Free for Society members and HMS Calliope Ship’s Company, £2 admission for others (refunded if joining on the night).
Parking is recommended in the car parks around the Sage Music Centre; the nearest Metro station is Gateshead; the QuayLink bus runs regularly from Haymarket bus station in Newcastle.

Huzzah for Northumbria Police: charged with burglary, an individual from Newcastle is due to appear at Newcastle Magistrates’ Court on Monday April 8. A second man has been bailed pending further enquiries, and a third “remains in custody helping with enquiries”. I hope this means he’s tied to a chair and has to watch endless repeats of Geordie Shore until he confesses where he and his mates hid the loot from the burglary, because at the moment, Nobel Peace Prize, Admiral Collingwood’s lock of hair and antique silverware haven’t surfaced.

If you have witnessed something which could help with the investigation or have any information of interest, then please contact Northumbria Police on the 101 non-emergency number, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

The Lord Mayor of Newcastle’s Mansion in Fernwood Road in Jesmond has been broken into on 1 April. Police believe that burglars broke in through the cellar overnight between last Monday and Tuesday. The criminals stole

a gold Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Labour Party founder Arthur Henderson in 1934 (the medal bears the inscription “Parlimentum Norvegial A Munro Henderson” and is with a presentation scroll in a leather case)

a large amount of antique silverware (silver cups dating back to 1919, a set of four Victoria napkin rings embossed with a star from 1875, a William IV snuff box dating back to 1834, a George II mustard pot from 1759 and a Queen Anne silver love cup engraved with two Queen Anne coat of arms)

and a lock of hair from Admiral Lord Collingwood. It was kept in a circular oak box with an engraved inscription: “This box which was made out of transform of the Royal Sovereign and enclosed a lock of the hair of the late Lord Collingwood, was presented by Admiral Thomas to the Corporation of Newcastle Upon Tyne.”

These are very distinct items which are almost impossible to sell through “regular” channels (unless the criminals melt the silver down, which I really don’t hope they’ll do), and I don’t think waiting for any of these items to turn up on The Antique’s Roadshow in twenty years is the way to go. So let’s try to do a bit of detective work:

There’s not much we can do about the medal or the silverware, but if anybody, anywhere should try to sell a lock of Collingwood’s hair or inquire about its value, chances are that one of us will notice. So please, keep your eyes and ears open, and don’t hesitate to contact the police if you see somebody trying to sell any of the above-mentioned items!

Anyone with information on the burglary is asked to call Northumbria Police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800-555-111.

By the way, former Newcastle United chairman Freddy Shepherd and technology tycoon Graham Wylie have offered £30,000 for the return of these items.

While countless activities in and around Morpeth are happening this very moment to remember our highly esteemed Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood, those of us who can’t attend unveilings and speeches are left with a puzzle. I recently stumbled over this alleged portrait of “Admiral Collingwood” which is attributed to John Hoppner.

The painting is dated to 1787 – 1795 and is part of the Eden District Council art collection.

Now my lamentable numerical memory is legendary (never ask me how old I am, I’ll be confused, and I can’t memorise my phone number, either), but wasn’t Collingwood promoted to rear-admiral in 1799? There doesn’t seem to be enough tinsel on the uniform; maybe it’s Captain Collingwood?

Inquiring minds want to know: is this Old Cuddy as a Young Cuddy, a different Collingwood or even a Fakingwood?

First things first: I have to apologise for the radio silence. As some of you may know, the last weeks have been rather unpleasant, and I had to put my online activities on the backburner. Thanks for your understanding.

7 March is just around the corner, and that means we’ll see the 203rd anniversary of Admiral Lord Collingwood’s death. It has become a bit of a tradition to place flowers on his tomb at St. Paul’s that day, but unfortunately, Old Cuddy will have to go without flowers this year.

“What? You can’t not do that!”

Well, little did my heathen self consider that Old Cuddy died in a very inconvinient month, church-wise. Means: LENT. Means: NO FLOWERS. No flowers through lent at St. Paul’s Cathedral. They were very friendly and they do make exceptions for one day of commemoration, but I’ll be honest with you: spending £££ on flowers which would only be there for a few hours and then thrown out would be a waste of money and flowers (the later sort of going against my religious principles). I appreciate that exceptions are made – it’s not like Old Cuddy died on purpose on 7 March, after all – but I decided it makes more sense to place flowers on Collingwood’s birthday in future rather than on the anniversary of his death.

But he won’t go empty handed, because he finally gets a commemorative bust! Or rather, Morpeth gets it, thanks to many generous donors and, of course, the Collingwood Society. The bust has been created by sculptor Helen Ridehalgh and is the second of a pair cast from the same mould. The original rests on Isla del Rey in Menorca harbour.

And it goes without saying that the Society has organised many events on 7 March, the unveiling of the bust only being one of many highlights.

a Service of commemoration and thanksgiving for the life of Vice Admiral Lord Collingwood at the Church of St. James the Great, Coppergate, Morpeth, 10.45am – 11.45am

an official civic ceremony and unveiling of the bust of Admiral Lord Collingwood, the Butter Market, Morpeth Town Hall, 12.30pm – 1.00pm (due to space restrictions, invited guests only, but the bust will be available to view after the ceremony)

Collingwood House, Oldgate, Morpeth will be open to the public between 1.30pm – 3.30pm. Society experts will be on hand to answer questions.

The 2013 Collingwood Lecture: “Collingwood – A Very Private Hero”, delivered by Max Adams, courtesy of the Royal Grammar School, Eskdale Terrace, Jesmond, Newcastle upon Tyne. 7.30pm, in the main hall. Free for Society members and school staff and pupils, £2 admission charge for others. The inaugural Collingwood lecture was delivered as part of the Collingwood 2010 Festival and this, the second lecture, promises to be a prestigious event in the Society’s first year programme.

Time to mark 29 January, 7.30pm in your diaries, agendas and electronical devices (the back of a beer mat is also acceptable, as long as it’s the Collingwood 2010 Festival Ale)!

“Collingwood’s Stick –
the Life and Times of Captain Edward Rotheram CB RN”

A talk by Dr Tony Barrow to a meeting of
The Collingwood Society

Highly praised for his undeniably brave service during the American War of Independence, the French Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars, Edward Rotheram was Captain of HMS Royal Sovereign, flagship of Vice Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood, at the Battle of Trafalgar.

I still try to figure out what event(s) I could visit this year. If you have the same problem, do not despair: eventually, the Collingwood Society will build an archive into the new website, in which presentations to the Society will be lodged. How’s that for good news?

By the way, how about paying for your bottle of Collingwood Ale with this…?

Next time this comes up at an auction, I’ll hopefully be more successful than during Diarygate.

Needless to say, my membership fee is already on its way to the Collingwood Society.Not only does this give me the satisfaction of knowing that I support a great cause, no, I can also scare my friends by telling them that I’ve joined a fan club. Hah!

Important: Those of you who, like me, live in countries where cheques aren’t used (anymore), can send me a mail on joyful_molly at yahoo.co.uk, and I’ll give you the IBAN for the Collingwood Society. Make sure that you pick the “our cost” option when transferring any money, though, which means that you’ll carry all fees!

I’m leaving you with this exciting news, and wish you all a Merry Christmas, Blessed Yule and a very happy and healthy New Year!

“Goodwill and Peace to all Mankind!”And women, children and animals. And Admirals.
And Velociraptors. Because everything is better with dinosaurs!

If you’d like a card for Yule/Christmas/Hanukkah/Random Holiday Of Your Choice and haven’t left your address on my LJ yet, this is your last chance to do so. Alternatively, you can also send a mail to joyful_molly at yahoo.co.uk – don’t be shy, I love sending cards, and the more, the merrier. :-)